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"Batgirl's Last Case" Don Heck Artwork 1972
From Detective Comics #424, DC Comics June 1972 cover date, .25 cent cover price.
Years ago Don Heck was used as a prime example of the 'sloppy' superhero artist who couldn't give the fans what they wanted. What was most popular in those days was primarily Neal Adams (or one of his imitators or stylists who worked with his tight pen stroke embellishing style - - there was a lot of that around in the seventies and eighties).
Hecks reputation, which was always good with other artists (for example with Frank Robbins and Alex Toth), has risen over the years with comic book aficionados because of the growing appreciation for his rich, deep blacking and his expert story-telling skills. I suspect that many things that were taken for granted in a 'bronze-age' comic have become a somewhat rarer commodity in modern mainstream superhero comics, and Hecks professional workmanship stands out for this all the more.
